Multiple brace point extendable shore



April 11, 1967 R. K. SQUIRE MULTIPLE BRACE POINT EXTENDABLE SHORE Filed April 20, 1964 I NVENTOR. Fogser/d 54 0425 Wm M, m Zak/if 4rrae4/ey5 United States Patent Office 3,313,081 Patented Apr. 11, 1967 3,313,081 MULTIPLE BRACE POINT EXTENDABLE SHORE Robert K. Squire, Los Angeies, Calif., assignor to Superior Scaffold (30., Torrance, Califl, a corporation of California Filed Apr. 20, 1264, Ser. No. 360,987 8 Claims. (Cl. 52-645) The present invention relates generally to extendable shores or shoring scaffolds for supporting loads at adjustable heights, and more particularly to such a shoring scaffold having mutliple brace points providing for bracing of an extending section adjacent its unsupported end with the same length braces, regardless of the amount of extension of the section.

A weakness of known extendable shores or shoring scaffolds is that the further they are extended the smaller the load they will carry because of inadequate bracing of the extending sections. Telescoping of the legs of an extension frame inside or outside of the legs of a base frame of a shoring scaffold is known in the art, but has in the past required a complicated bracing of the extension frame or else the load bearing capacity of the shoring scaffold progressively decreased as the shore was extended.

According to the present invention, cross bracing is installed between the extension frame and the base frame of a shoring scaffold so that it always extends to the top of the extension frame while utilizing standard length cross braces. This construction requires that the brace points on the base frame be changed with change in the amount of extension of the extension frame, and the present invention provides a multiplicity of cross brace attachment points disposed along the vertical height of the base frame and spaced apart distances corresponding to the spacings of the steps by which the extension frames are extended. This construction rigidifies the shoring scaffold with a minimum of standard parts, using standard extension frames, standard base frames, and cross braces of standard length. This means that the scaffold or shoring height is variable over a wide range using only two types of end frames comprising two basic units, a base frame and an extension frame. The base frames are usable in any desired number in superposed relation, with an extension frame always forming the top unit in order to secure adjustment in the scaffold 'or shoring height.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved extendable shore or shoring scaffold.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an improved extendable shoring scaffold having increased rigidity and load-bearing capacity.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an extendable shoring scaffold providing for maximum bracing 'of the top extension frame with standard length cross braces.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of an improved extendable shoring scaffold employing base and extension frames with telescopic legs in which the brace frame is provided with a plurality of brace attachment points spaced along its height to provide for top bracing of the extension frame with standard length cross braces.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification and the appended drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a shoring scaffold according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the scaffold with parts broken away; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

The shoring scaffold 11 according to the present invention is illustrated as made up of a pair of base frames 12 and 13, each made up of a pair of horizontally spaced, vertically extending tubular legs 14 and 15. The legs 14 and 15 are connected adjacent their upper ends by a pair of horizontally extending, vertically spaced, tubular cross members 16 and 17 and are further reinforced by cross braces 18 and 19 extending therebetween. The legs 14 and 15, cross members 16 and 17, and cross braces 18 and 19 are rigidly and permanently secured together, as by welding, to form an integral, load-supporting base frame.

Mounted in and above the base frames 12 and 13 are a pair of extension frames 21 and 22, each of which is made up of a pair of vertical tubular legs 23 and 24 of a diameter and spaced apart horizontally so as to be received within the tubular legs 14, 15 in telescoping relation. The legs 23 and 24 are interconnected adjacent their upper ends by tubular cross members 25 and 26 and angularly extending braces 27 and 28. The legs 23 and 24, cross members 25 and 26, and angular braces 27 and 28 are integrally connected together, as by welding, to form a rigid, load-supporting extension frame.

Screw jacks 31 are optionally located at the bottom of the base frames 12, 13, by extending into the legs 14 and 15, to provide means for leveling the base frames and the shoring scaffold when used on an uneven foundation. Likewise the upper ends of the extension frames 21 and 22 may support screw jacks 32 to adjust the engagement of the shoring scaffold with a supported structure, a simple platform 33 being shown in the drawing by way of example.

The base frame legs 14 and 15 are provided with a plurality of holes 34 therethrough adapted to receive through pins or bolts 30 on which the lower ends of the extension frame legs 23 and 24 are supported. The holes in the legs 14 and 15 are located in horizontally aligned pairs so that the ends of the legs 23 and 24 will be at the same height, and the spacings between the horizontally aligned pairs may be any desired distances depending on the extension steps desired. For uniformity, the holes 34 are desirably a uniform distance apart so as to provide for uniform increments of extension of the extension frames 21 and 22.

Associated with each pair of horizontally aligned openings 34 is a pair of horizontally aligned cross brace attaching pins 35, shown in enlarged detail in FIGURE 3. The pins 35 are butt welded or otherwise secured to the base frame legs 14 and 15 and desirably extend inwardly of the base frames toward each other so as to locate the cross braces interiorly of the vertical legs 14 and 15.

Removable cross braces 36 and 37 extend from the top pins 35 on the base frame 12 to the bottom pins 35 on the base frame 13. Removable cross braces 38 and 39 3 extend from the top pins-35 on the base frame 13 to the bottom pins 35 on the base frame 12. The base frames 12, 13 and cross braces 3639 are thereby interconnected to form a rigid, self-supporting, load-bearing structure.

All of the removable cross braces desirably have tubular body portions 40 and flat ends 41, the ends 41 havingholes 42 therethrough through which the pins 35 extend. The pins 35 have vertical holes 43 therethrough adjacent their ends in which may be placed cotter pins 44, ordinary nails, or any transverse element to prevent undesired separation of the cross braces from their attachment pins.

Supporting pins 30 may take the form of conventional headed bolts whose shanks extend through the holes 34 in the legs 14 and and have retaining nuts placed on their ends. As illustrated, the supports are in the form of simple headed pins having transverse holes therethrough adjacent their ends receiving cotter pins or nails 45preventing accidental removal of the supporting pins. The brace attachment pins 35 are mounted on the base frame legs 14 and 15 at a uniform distance from the complementary holes 34 providing support for the extension frames so that the brace attachment pins cooperate with standard length braces. As illustrated in the drawing, the brace attachment pins 35 are all equally spaced to conform to the equal spacing between the extension regulating holes 34.

The legs 23 and 24 of the extension frames 21, 22

are provided with inwardly directed brace attachment pins 46 adjacent their upper ends conforming in size, configuration and attachment to the brace attachment pins 35 mounted on the base frame. However, the brace attachment pins 46 of the extension frames are provided only one for each vertical extension frame legs, adjacent its top, so that the cross brace members bracing the extension frames will always attach to these top pins. The cross braces for the extension frames are shown at 47 and 48 for the legs 23 and at 49 and 50 for the legs 24. These cross braces extend from the pins 46 at the tops of the extension frame legs at each side of the shoring scafliold across and downwardly to engage the brace pins 35 on the opposite of the base frames 12 and 13. The cross braces 47-50 are preferably of standard length, regardless of the varied extended positions of the extension frames, and are always engaged with the brace attachment pins 46 adjacent the tops of the extension frames. This requires that the points of attachment of the cross braces to the base frames be changed when the extension of the extension frames is changed. As illustrated in the drawing, the supporting pins 30 are in the second set of holes 34 flom the tops of the base frames and the cross braces 47-50 are likewise attached to the second set of pins 35 from the tops of the base frames.

Had a greater height of shoring scafiold been desired;

then, when the frames were assembled, the pins 30 would have been placed in the uppermost set of holes 34 and the cross braces 47-50 mounted on the uppermost brace attachment pins 35, which would be on the same pins with the base frame cross braces 36-39.

It will therefore be seen that with the arrangement shown and described, the shoring scaffold can be assembled in incrementally variable heights of the extension frame at the top of the scaffold telescopically supported in a lower base frame, while standard length cross braces always extend to the top of the extension frames to give maximum rigidity and load-bearing capacity to the scaffold. Such standardization of cross bracing is provided by the multiple brace attachment pins 35 mounted vertic'ally spaced along the base frame legs 14 and 15 in positions complementary to and governed by the spacing between the holes 34 for pins 30 supporting the extension frames. standardization of scaffolding parts using standard base and extension frame units and standard length cross braces, while securing maximum rigidity and load-bearing capacity for the scaffold for the various extension heights thereof.

The construction therefore provides for desirable The setting up of the shoring scaffold 11 in an adjusted position, as shown in FIGURE 1, is believed to be obvious from the preceding description and follows the natural building up of the scaffold by first interconnecting the base frames 12 and 13 and cross braces 36-39 to form a rigid, self-supporting structure. Thereafter, pins 30 are inserted at the desired height, the extension frames telescopically mounted, and the cross braces 47-50 interconnected between the brace attachment pins 46 on the extension frames and the appropriate brace attachment pins 35 on the base frames. The jacks 31 and 32 may be independently adjusted to compensate for an uneven supporting surface and to provide individual adjustment of the supporting height of the scaffold legs. I

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto as many variations will be apparent to those skilled in the' art and the invention is to be given its broadest interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced base frames; cross bracing elements interconnecting said base frames to form a rigid, self-supporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced extension frames mounted on and above said base frames in telescoping relation therewith; means for adjusting the amount of extension of said extension frames above said base frames in fixed steps; brace attachment pins integrally secured to said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integrally mounted in vertically spaced relation corresponding to said fixed steps along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames, whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames. 7

2. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced base frames; cross bracing elements interconnecting said base frames to form a rigid, self-supporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced extension frames mounted on and above said base frames in telescoping relation therewith; means for adjusting the amount of extension of said extension frames above said base frames; brace attachment pins integrally secured to said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integraly mounted in vertically spaced relation along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames, said means for adjusting the extension of the extension frames providing for incremental changes in the amount of ex--. tension thereof and said brace attachment pins on said.

base frames being vertically spaced distances correspond ing to said incremental changes.

3. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair self-supporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced. extension frames mounted on and above said base frames.

in telescoping relation therewith; means for adjusting theamount of extension of said extension frames above said base frames; brace attachment pins integrally secured to.

said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integrally mounted in vertically spaced relation along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames, said means for adjusting the extension of the extension frames providing for incremental changes in the amount of extension thereof and said brace attachment pins on said base frames being vertically spaced distances corresponding to said incremental changes, said incremental changes in extension of the extension frames and the spacing between said base frame brace attachment pins being standardized and uniform to provide for equal increments of change in frame extension.

4. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced base frames; cross bracing ele ments interconnecting said base frames to form a rigid, self-supporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced extension frames mounted on and above said base frames in telescoping relation therewith; means for adjusting the amount of extension of'said extension frames above said base frames; brace attachment pins integrally secured to said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integrally mounted in vertically spaced relation along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames, the brace attachment pins on said base frames being a standardized distance from the means establishing the amount of telescoping and extension of said extension frames so that a change in the amount of extension of the extension frames will present new brace attachment pins in the proper positions to receive standard length cross braces.

5. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced base frames; cross bracing elements interconnecting said base frames to form a rigid, selfsupporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced extension frames mounted on and above said base frames in telescoping relation therewith, means for adjusting the amount of extension of said extension frames above said base frames in fixed steps; brace attachment pins integrally secured to said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integrally mounted in verticaly spaced relation corresponding to said fixed steps along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames, said cross bracing elements interconnecting said base frames being connected tov the uppermost and lowermost brace attachment pins of the horizontally opposed base frames in an X-like formation.

6. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced base frames; cross bracing elements interconnecting said base frames to form a rigid, selfsupporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced extension frames mounted on and above said base frames in telescoping relation therewith; means for adjusting the amount of extension of said extension frames above said base frames in fixed steps; brace attachment pins integral ly secured to said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integrally mounted in vertically spaced relation corresponding to said fixed steps along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames, said means adjusting the extension of said extension frames comprising a plurality of vertically spaced holes through said base frames and removable pins in horizontally aligned holes upon which said telescopic extension frames rest in supported relation.

7. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced base frames; cross bracing elements interconnecting said base frames to form a rigid, self-supporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced extension frames mounted on and above said base frames in telescoping relation therewith; means for adjusting the amount of extension of said extension frames above said base frames; brace attachment pins integrally secured to said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integrally mounted in vertically spaced relation along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames, said means adjusting the extension of said extension frames comprising a plurality of vertically spaced holes through said base frames and removable pins in horizontally aligned holes upon which said telescopic extension frames rest in supported relation, said holes being substantially uniformly spaced to provide for equal increments of change in the extension of said extension frames and said base frame brace attachment pins being mounted at substantially equal distances from said holes.

8. An extendable shoring scaffold comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced base frames; cross bracing elements interconnecting said base frames to form a rigid, self-supporting structure; a pair of horizontally spaced extension frames mounted on and above said base frames in telescoping relation therewith; means for adjusting the amount of extension of said extension frames above said base frames; brace attachment pins integrally secured to said extension frames adjacent the tops thereof; a plurality of brace attachment pins integrally mounted in vertically spaced relation along the height of said base frames; and vertically diagonal cross braces of standard effective length interconnecting the brace attachment pins adjacent the top of said extension frames with the appropriate brace attachment pins on the horizontally opposite base frames whereby said extension frames may be rigidified by the same standard length cross braces attached adjacent their tops regardless of varied amounts of extension of said extension frames, said means adjusting the extension of said extension frames comprising a plurality of vertically spaced holes through said base frames and removable pins in horizontally, aligned holes upon which said telescopic extension frames rest in supported relation, said holes being substantially uniformly spaced to provide for equal increments of change in the extension of said extension frames and said base frame brace attachment pins being mounted at substantially equal distances from said holes, said brace attachment pins projecting inwardly from the sides of said base 3,313,081 7 8 and extension frames to support the cross braces interior- 2,043,498 6/ 1936 Uecker 52-695 X 1y of the outside of said frames. 4

- FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited by the Examiner 9 270 4 19 5 Great Britain UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 1,552,333 9/1925 Mosher 52695 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, KENNETH DOWNEY, 1,961,967 6/1934 Goranson 52637 X Examiners.

3,190,405 6/1965 Squire 5263'/ A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN EXTENDABLE SHORING SCAFFOLD COMPRISING: A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED BASE FRAMES; CROSS BRACING ELEMENTS INTERCONNECTING SAID BASE FRAMES TO FORM A RIGID, SELF-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE; A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED EXTENSION FRAMES MOUNTED ON AND ABOVE SAID BASE FRAMES IN TELESCOPING RELATION THEREWITH; MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT OF EXTENSION OF SAID EXTENSION FRAMES ABOVE SAID BASE FRAMES IN FIXED STEPS; BRACE ATTACHMENT PINS INTEGRALLY SECURED TO SAID EXTENSION FRAMES ADJACENT THE TOPS THEREOF; A PLURALITY OF BRACE ATTACHMENT PINS INTEGRALLY MOUNTED IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION CORRESPONDING TO SAID FIXED STEPS ALONG THE HEIGHT OF SAID BASE FRAMES; AND VERTICALLY DIAGONAL CROSS BRACES OF STANDARD EFFECTIVE LENGTH INTERCONNECTING THE BRACE ATTACHMENT PINS ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID EXTENSION FRAMES WITH THE APPROPRIATE BRACE ATTACHMENT PINS ON THE HORIZONTALLY OPPOSITE BASE FRAMES, WHEREBY SAID EXTENSION FRAMES MAY BE RIGIDIFIED BY THE SAME STANDARD LENGTH CROSS BRACES ATTACHED ADJACENT THEIR TOPS REGARDLESS OF VARIED AMOUNTS OF EXTENSION OF SAID EXTENSION FRAMES. 